Buscarnera Honored with 2017 Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award

ASCE has honored Giuseppe Buscarnera, Ph.D., Aff.M.ASCE, with the 2017 Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award for his outstanding contributions to the modeling of instability and failure in multiphase porous materials.

Buscarnera has a superior track record in both research funding and publications. His perspective on the fundamentals of engineering mechanics has proven useful for solving a wide range of practical problems in geotechnical engineering. He applies fundamental sciences – physics, chemistry, mechanics, and mathematics – to the research and solution of problems in geotechnical engineering, specifically those related to complex failure mechanisms.

Because of its breadth and fundamental nature, Buscarnera’s work has a compelling range of applicability, both within the realm of classical geotechnical engineering (rainfall-induced slope instability, such as that observed in the Oso Landslide), and in areas of emerging societal importance in which geotechnical engineers should have a prominent role, including carbon dioxide sequestration and hydraulic fracturing.

The Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award is presented in recognition of outstanding accomplishments, as evidenced by completed works, reports, or papers, in the field of geotechnical engineering. The award was established to provide professional development opportunities for outstanding young practitioners, researchers, and teachers of geotechnical engineering.